AVALANCHE OF OPTIONS
‘Downhill’s’ Julia Louis-Dreyfus at top of her game
On Sunday, Julia Louis-Dreyfus joined her “Downhill” co-star Will Ferrell to slyly present a couple of Oscars on the live telecast.
On Monday she was in Manhattan, talking about “Downhill,” which opens nationwide this weekend and which she also produced. Tuesday found her with Stephen Colbert.
Is this a typical week, back and forth cross country?
“It actually is. It’s part of the gig.”
After seven seasons with “Veep,” her standing as the most honored Emmy (11 wins!) and SAG (9!) actress ever, Louis-Dreyfus at 59 is competing only with herself.
“Downhill,” a remake of critically praised 2014 Swedish film “Force Majeure,” is an adventurous departure from her comfort zone.
The premise in both films is while vacationing at a mountain ski resort, a family — mom, dad, two kids — sit on a terrace ready to order breakfast when they’re suddenly threatened by an imminent avalanche.
As mom shields the boys, dad grabs his mobile phone and runs. Minutes later, when it’s obvious there is no avalanche, dad returns.
“I thought this was too good an opportunity to pass up,” Louis-Dreyfus said. “It took a while to get it up and running because we had to adapt the script and find a director and there was a slim window when you could shoot it, considering the circumstances of location and snow. I was very involved in that whole process.”
Was “Downhill” so appealing because it isn’t a comedy?
“We wanted to make this very real and believable. Will was drawn — as was I — because of the dramatic element. But I would contend there are many comedic beats, but they’re born out of a real and authentic situation.
“So yeah, that was the appeal of it: to flex different muscles.”
Next month Louis-Dreyfus voices an elf in the Disney-Pixar “Onward” and she’s just signed a high-profile development deal with Apple+. Does she want to do more movies?
“My career,” she answered, “is both a television and film career and if I would say I was unhappy with that I’d be a fool. It’s been a grand adventure thus far.
“We call it television,” she added, “but I now call it ‘computer.’ It’s a wonderful platform to create entertainment. So is film. I’m looking forward to doing both frankly.”